University of Washington, TacomaJULIA AGUIRRE is an assistant professor of education at the University of Washington, Tacoma. Her research interests include mathematics learning and teaching, teacher cognition, teacher education, roles of race/ethnicity, language, culture, and class in mathematics education, and culturally responsive pedagogy. Her recent publications include: "Examining the Relationship Between Beliefs and Goals in Teacher Practice," Journal of Mathematical Behavior (2000), with N. Speer and "Examining Teacher Beliefs Related to Algebra Competency in the context of the 'Algebra for All' Reform Debate," In M. L. Fernandez (Ed.) (2000) .

Drawing from a 3-year study of 15 new teachers of color in urban high-minority schools, this article examines the complexity of a “cultural match” between teachers and students of color. Findings highlight a new form of practice shock when students of color challenged their teachers’ cultural identifications and reveal how the new teachers of color drew on “emergent multicultural capital” to negotiate challenges in ways that shaped teaching practice.